Just a Kiss
by LaughinConfusion
Summary: It's the summer festival in Konohagakure and everyone is here! There's food, fun and fireworks! There are friends, acquaintances and couples roaming around enjoying the festivities together! Just how are Neji and Tenten fairing though?


**Me: Whoo! I finally got this done! It's been buzzing around my brain for MONTHS, I tells you! XD I just haven't had the time, computer access or inspiration (or any combination of the three) to write it out! I've been wanting to write NejiTen to this song for sooo long, you have no idea! I just think it fits them so perfectly! Just a warning: This has no plot and is pretty much sheer fluff. It's a first for me. No humor or anything, just romance. Oh well. Oh Neji... Be a dear and give the disclaimer please?**

**Neji: *sighs* The authoress does not own Naruto, which belongs to Kishimoto-san. She doesn't own the song Just a Kiss, which belongs to Lady Antebellum. She doesn't own the briefly appearing original character Kanari Kurai, who belongs to Ashurei Aqu Blu-  
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**Me: Who I asked FOR-FUDGING-EVER ago if I could borrow her, and didn't do anything with until now, thanks Ash-chan, she helped me even out the numbers and various other tiny things!  
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**Neji: But she does own the briefly appearing original character Kihara Chii.  
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**Me: Arigatou Neji! Now on to the story!**

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The streets of Konohagakure were the busiest they had been the entire year. The air was warm and humid in the twilit evening as people bustled about, taking part in the annual beginning of summer festival. The scents of vendor's wares rode the slight breeze that ran through the crowd, as the sounds of those vendor's voices rang out over the heads of the civilians and shinobi, barely heard through the chatter of the mass. Lanterns hung from wires above, giving just enough light for everyone to see. Stands and booths were around every corner, waiting for potential customers to take an interest in what they had to offer. In the middle of all this civil chaos, a group of eighteen in number and anywhere from seventeen to twenty two in age converged. The famous twelve, Sai and two additional females from Konoha, as well as the sand siblings who had been invited by the soon to be succeeded Hokage, met in the center point.

"So, what's the plan?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"The fireworks start in about an hour, so do we want to meet on top of the Hokage monument and watch them together?" Sakura proposed. Most everyone nodded, and the rest just agreed with a 'hn.'

"Sounds good! Everyone grab a buddy and we'll see you in an hour!" Ino grinned and grabbed her boyfriend Sai's hand before taking off.

"Ino-pig." Sakura shook her head in disbelief, before looking to her boyfriend Sasuke with a small smile. Their hands found each other's and they went on their way.

Naruto grinned massively as he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend. "Let's go Hinata-chan!" This caused the shy girl to blush and almost faint at her beloved's actions as he pulled her toward his favorite shop in the village.

"Hey Shino, wanna grab some barbeque with me?" Chouji inquired. The Aburame nodded and the two made for the restaurant that Team Asuma was famous for eating at.

"All right Lazy, you're the guide, so guide me." Temari smirked.

"Mendokusei…" Shikamaru muttered light heartedly with a smirk matching his girlfriend's. He held out a hand, which she accepted, and they slowly and lazily strolled away.

Kiba smiled mischievously as he and his black haired girl, Kanari Kurai, made eye contact. In half a heartbeat, they both took off running in the same direction, the largely grown Akamaru on their heels.

The other female, a dark brunette by the name of Kihara Chii, laughed as they disappeared, catching the eye of the Kazekage of almost five years. The red head smiled and offered her his arm, to which she smiled and lightly blushed as she accepted. The two went in the opposite direction to the hotheaded couple.

"Well bushy brows, it looks like you and I are together. Let's go see if we can pick up a few ladies of our own." Kankuro suggested.

"Yosh! You must train me in the very youthful art of flirting!" Konoha's green beast replied jovially, and off they walked in search of single young women.

Tenten laughed and shook her head, as Neji smirked and shook his head. They looked at each other and wordlessly drew closer as they began moving around. Tenten couldn't keep her eyes focused on one spot as she attempted to take in everything.

Neji couldn't help but smirk at his girlfriend's amazement. "Tenten, if you don't stop whipping your head around like that, you'll hurt your neck."

This got her to stop, her eyes resting on him. "What can I say, Neji? This festival seems to improve every year, and there's just not enough time to see everything."

"What do you want to see?"

"I don't know! There's just so much!"

His smirk deepened. They continued to window shop for about ten more minutes, when a new noise reached their ears. Tenten blushed profusely and looked down at her stomach as the Hyuuga male chuckled. "Hungry?"

"…Maybe a little." She admitted. He continued to chuckle, leading her over to a yakiniku stand. He got out his wallet and paid the smiling vendor for two, and handed the bun haired girl her food. She gave him a grateful smile. They found a bench nearby and sat down to eat. "Arigatou Neji."

"Hn." He replied nonchalantly, but they both knew that he meant that he was happy to provide something for her. Following their meal, they continued to peruse stands and booths. One in particular caught Tenten's eye, and she gravitated toward it.

"Oh wow!" She gasped as she gazed at the hand crafted weaponry. She couldn't believe the craftsmanship on the kunai that didn't look like normal kunai, as the blades spiraled, resembling a drill. The shuriken stars had two layers each, not overlapping the points, but alternating them, which intrigued her. "How much?"

The curator donned a smug expression as he recognized someone who was hooked. "Fifty thousand yen for a set which consists of three of each."

Her face fell promptly, knowing that it would take her another two month's worth of missions to be able to even think about affording that. "Oh."

Neji knew that expression. Tenten couldn't afford it, but she wanted it really badly. For the second time that night, he withdrew his wallet. A benefit of the Hyuuga clan was their vast wealth. "Give me two."

Tenten glanced curiously at her boyfriend. "What do you need two for?"

"Honestly? You'll go through one set in under a week." He replied as he handed over the money.

"Neji! You are not spending that much on me!" She protested.

He smirked. "I just did."

The salesman grinned as he handed over the packaged weapons. Neji took them and gently shoved them at Tenten. "Just take them."

Tenten blinked before letting her face break out into a grin. "You're the best."

"Hn." Once more they meandered through the throng of people. Tenten chattered on for a little bit, voicing her gratitude. After awhile, she fell completely silent. Neji looked over to her, to see her wearing a content smile.

"Neji?" She spoke up when she noticed that he was looking at her. "Let's go to our training grounds."

He raised an eyebrow, but was more than happy to oblige in order to get out of the crowd. He nodded and they headed toward the area they knew as well as their own homes, not missing the familiar faces of their friends in couples. Tenten laughed as she saw Kiba and Kurai dueling it out on a ring toss game. Neji chuckled when he caught Sasuke giving in to Sakura's puppy dog eyes. The female smiled when she saw Naruto and Hinata slow dancing to a song that a small band was playing. The male smirked when he saw Shikamaru and Temari leaning against each other on a bench. The weapons mistress sighed happily at the sight of Chii and Gaara walking hand in hand. The Byakugan user shook his head when he took in Ino hanging on to Sai and the artist just smiling. Lee and Kankuro as well as Chouji and Shino were nowhere in sight, but the two Team Gai members figured that the former pair was hunting up women while the latter was eating. When they reached their destination, Tenten stretched her arms above her head and arched her back.

"Ah… It was too cramped there, don't you think?" She questioned.

"Hn." Neji replied. She set down the package of kunai and shuriken on the ground gently and lied down on her back beside it, bringing her arms up underneath her head and gazing at the starry sky.

"This is nice. There's room to spread out." She commented. He nodded in agreement. "…You should try this. Stargazing is possibly the most relaxing activity ever thought of."

"Hn. Lying down on the dirty ground doesn't seem that relaxing to me." He noted dryly.

"Oh come on, Neji. You sound like such a priss."

This received a lighthearted glare from the long haired man. "Hn. I'm just stating my opinion."

"Well swallow it and at least try. It's not like you don't get at least twice as dirty from the sweat and grime you produce and accumulate from training every day."

"Hn." He grunted, but gave in and lied down a foot away from her. A breeze blew through the nearby trees, ghosting over the two, eliciting a shiver from Tenten. Neji watched her out of the corner of his white eye. It happened again, a little more forcefully. This time when the kunoichi shuddered, the shinobi wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, catching her off guard.

"Neji?" She questioned, surprised. He had never shown much affection to her during the four months that they had been dating. His lack of response didn't bother her in the slightest like it normally would have. Instead of her usual reaction of prodding and attempting to get an answer, she took advantage of the silence and shyly inched closer, testing the waters. She almost gasped as she felt his grip on her tighten. He put his chin on top of her head. She smiled happily and reveled in the warmth. Her feelings for the man with her were very strong, having cultivated for at least seven or so years. Her eyes closed of their own accord and she released a content sigh…

"Tenten?" Neji whispered. This time it was she who didn't respond. "Tenten?" He repeated. Once again, he received no answer. He raised his head to take a look and found his sparring partner and love fast asleep. A genteel smile crept onto his face as he just watched her breathe. He was amazed by her for various reasons. The strongest of which is the fact that she knew just how to get him to open up to her, when he never had before to anyone. Not to anyone in the clan (especially not to anyone in the clan), not to his sensei or other teammate, or anyone at all. Yet how could it be that she could make him not only vent and talk, but lose some control just by being around? He softly brushed a hand over her face, removing any stray hairs. He felt absolutely at peace, just observing her as she rejuvenated. He laid his head back down and shut his eyes…

A pop resounded throughout the sky, waking the couple. They jolted upright at the sound, colliding with each other.

"Ow…" Tenten muttered as she rubbed the top of her head.

"Hn." Neji rubbed his chin.

"Oh! The fireworks have started! We should get to the monument with everyone." Tenten jumped up, and started to run, but was held back. She turned to see Neji holding her hand, keeping her in place. "Come on Neji."

"Hn."

"Neji! Everyone's probably waiting for us."

"…Let them wait. I'd much rather stay here alone with you than go up there with everyone else." For some reason his desire to be alone with her made her inexplicably happy and giddy. She sat back down at his side.

"I guess that's a good reason not to go." She smiled. He smirked and pulled her against his chest causing her to blush. She wasn't used to this at all. Dating Hyuuga Neji didn't carry much in terms of open displays of affection. She had learned to pick up the subtle things he did that showed that he cared, and she was okay with that. He never wore his heart out on his sleeve like some people, and it took some solid deciphering skills to pick up on any positive emotion that he may be feeling. It was Neji, and she loved him, cryptic and silent as he was. It didn't hurt that it made her feel special, being one of the very few people (four to be exact, the other three being Hinata and on rare occasion Lee and Gai-sensei) that he talked to about his emotions. Although him talking about his emotions was only slightly more common than him actually doing something physically intimate. On occasion, he would intentionally brush her hand with his, or put a hand on her shoulder, something small and subtle but was still there. The two watched as the night sky was lit up with varying colors, basking in each other's presence. Forty-five minutes later, the festival concluded with the grand finale, a set of five in the shapes of the symbols of the five hidden villages simultaneously released, immediately followed by a set of three slightly larger, succeeded by one monstrous one in the shape of the leaf village symbol. Tenten sighed happily and let her head fall back and rest on her loved one's shoulder.

"Come on Tenten, I'll walk you home." Neji spoke softly when the last light had faded. Tenten nodded and the two rose slowly and began walking. Tenten wished the night wouldn't end.

"Neji? …Can we take the long way?" She asked as they left the training spot, hoping for any chance to prolong her time with him.

"…Sure." He smirked. She smiled for the unknown number of times that night. Her hand twitched in desire to be held by his, but she refrained. Neji, with his infinite perceptivity, didn't miss the tiny gesture. He gently took her hand in his, slightly startling her. She glanced over, to see his happy (as happy as anyone could tell anyway) expression, which made hers even bigger. They strolled on, looking very happy and very much like a couple. Even with taking the detours and roundabout ways, the walk ended much too soon for either of their tastes.

When they reached her door they turned to face each other. "…Would you like to come in?" She invited.

He hesitated before shaking his head. "I need to be getting back."

"Oh… Okay. Well I'll see you tomorrow, training grounds at nine?" She asked, clearly crestfallen.

"Hn." He nodded.

"Okay. Good night Neji." She bid farewell before turning away. For the second time that night, however, she was restrained by a hand on her wrist. With a jerk, it spun her around, right into Neji's chest where she placed her hands to keep herself from colliding with him. "Neji?"

"Hn." He smirked, before bringing his other hand up and lifting her chin, closing the small gap between their lips.

Tenten's eyes drifted shut as she completely melted into his touch, amazed at the sensation. The fireworks from before had nothing on this. She brought her arms up and wrapped them tight around his neck. His hands came to her waist holding her flush against him. Their lips moved in sync with each other, fitting together as if they were two pieces of a puzzle, separated until now. Eventually, the basic need to breathe took prevalence over desire and they pulled away. Neji's smirk from earlier made a reappearance as he rested his forehead against hers.

"…Hyuuga… What the heck took you so long?" She whispered breathily with a grin.

His smirk became more pronounced. "…I want to take things slow. If we give this time, instead of rushing into things, we can make it last. I want to make this work…"

Her grin fell as she realized how serious he was. It made something pleasant well up in her chest. A warm smile made its way upon her facial features as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Yes Neji… We WILL make this work. Let's just take it slow."

His arms wrapped tightly around her and held her securely. "Yes. We will."

And as the stars twinkled above, the young couple remained in a tight embrace, not caring how much time passed before they finally separated and said goodnight with just a kiss.

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**Me: Well there you be. I know it was kinda weak, but like I said, IT'S SO FLUFFY! XD So I hope you enjoyed and- Hyuuga Neji and Tenten, stop making out in my author's corner!  
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**Tenten: *stops kissing Neji* This is your fault. You started it. *goes back to making out with Neji*  
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**Me: Oi vei... I wouldn't mind so much if I had someone here with me to... Yeah. Get a room you two!  
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**Neji: *stops kissing Tenten* We're in one. *goes back to making out with Tenten*  
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**Me: Don't make me get Hanabi and Hinata to pull you apart!  
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**Tenten: *pulls away from Neji* Fine, fine. *mumbles* Darn jealous author, not letting me have my boyfriend just because she doesn't have one...  
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**Me: I'm sorry, what was that?  
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**Tenten: *smiles* Nothing!  
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**Me: For your sake, it better have been nothing. Anyway... I'm off to work on Dedicated. Review please!  
*walks out*  
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**Tenten: ...Okay, she's gone. *starts making out with Neji again*  
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**Me: *comes in with Hinata and Hanabi* What did I tell you?  
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**Tenten: *stops* Run Neji! *pulls Neji away*  
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**Me: And I repeat: Oi vei. NOW I'm going to work on Dedicated. Please review!  
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End file.
